Earlier this year, the National Institutes of Health recommended releasing 401 of the 451 chimpanzees currently being used for government biomedical testing. This came after a 2011 report declared most of the research to be unnecessary, and it was also a response to the $30 million spending cap on chimpanzee research.
Now 111 of these chimps have been released at Chimp Haven, a nonprofit sanctuary on 200 acres near Keithville, Louisiana. It’s the largest group of chimps to ever be retired from government research, doubling the current population of Chimp Haven.
Many of these chimps have been imprisoned and used in laboratory testing for almost fifty years without seeing the outdoors.
These chimps, some of them nearly 50 years old, will slowly begin to warm to their natural tendencies — hierarchy, grooming, exploring their new habitats. No more bars, no more dark laboratories. Just freedom. Just as nature intended. [HLN via PopSci]
Not since the group of lab research dogs were released have we been this touched by an animal video, or wanted to randomly kick a human so much.
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Wow, it’s getting pretty dusty in my office
Which of these chimps is chopping onions? :’-(
I’m a little worried about that one older chimp… I could see him getting a message back to those few chimps still in captivity:
Dear fellas,
I can’t believe how fast things move on the outside. I saw a tire swing once when I was a kid, but now they’re everywhere. The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry. The health institute got me into this halfway house called “Chimp Haven” and a job picking lice out of other chimp’s hair. It’s hard work and I try to keep up, but my hands hurt most of the time. I don’t think the park docent likes me very much. Sometimes after work, I go to the pond and feed the birds. I keep thinking Jake might just show up and say hello, but he never does. I hope wherever he is, he’s doin’ okay and makin’ new friends. I have trouble sleepin’ at night. I have bad dreams like I’m falling. I wake up scared. Sometimes it takes me a while to remember where I am. I don’t like it here. I’m tired of being afraid all the time. I’ve decided not to stay. I doubt they’ll kick up any fuss. Not for an old primate like me. P.S: Tell Heywood I’m sorry I put a bamboo shoot to his throat.
No hard feeling, Brooks.
So you know, not every chimp is having a grand old time
Bubbles Dufresne crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side…which was what a chimp covered in shit was considered.
I love you guys.
“Do you remember the name of the town, O-Rang?” “SayIwantabanana”
FUCK YES THIS
*Sometimes after work, I go to the pond and throw poop at the birds. I keep thinking Jake might just show up and say hello, but he never does.
Fixed, not that it wasn’t perfect before.
Dammit. Too early in the morning to be feeling things.
I just watched the chimp video and the lab dog video back to back and now I’m dehydrated.
These chimps, some of them nearly 50 years old, will slowly begin to warm to their natural tendencies – forming hunting parties and tearing smaller animals into pieces, forming war parties and tearing other chimps into pieces, plotting revenge.
This is the one.
In other news, I will watch the beginning of 28 Days Later on repeat for that sweet sweeeet chimp revenge.
People are the WORST.
Oh sure it’s all touching now but wait a few years for when the chimps rise and we will see how touching it is when they are ripping off your hands and beating you to death with them
Any idea what experiments these chimps were involved in?
Viagra testing. Poor, poor creatures.
Yeah I can’t curse human too much here. Its sucks, but AIDS needs a cure, and we can either use animals or the homeless.
Oh for the record, testing animals for Science = OK, testing animals for makeup quality control = fucking wrong in so many ways.
Wiping away the ..indoor rain that hit my face… to recommend the ace novel Me, Cheeta, which is the best goddamn primate memoir you’ll ever read.
Guaranteed that late at night, they start plotting ways to rip the genitals off any humans who get within arm distance of their new digs.
GOD DAMN IT! i told myself i wasn’t going to cry over any more chimps released from captivity today!
Oh goddamnit humans. Just… goddamnit.